by Bill Adler
Several weeks ago I wrote a column called "Bag Envy," about
my quest for the perfect technology carry-bag.
My needs were obvious, though not obviously simple: Ever
since I started carrying a smartphone, I've needed a way to carry it. My
pocket's no good for a couple of reasons: First, smartphone screens and house
keys and loose change don't mix well. Second, smartphones are big and unless
your belt is snug, well, you can guess the result.
A holster that clips to my belt is an option, but
honestly, it looks geeky.
Which brings me to the bag option. A bag. To carry a
phone. Not only do I need a bag to carry a phone, but I've come to the
conclusion that the bigger the bag, the better. Why? I'm not entirely sure, but If the bag is too
small it's a "man purse" or "murse," which I won't be
carrying, no way, no how. I have a smallish bag that I used to tote around my
phone and a few items that I don't really need but carry anyway, including a
Surefire tactical flashlight and Leatherman multi-tool. (I have to fill the
bag's compartments with something.) This
bag, handsome in its own way, has a petite look to it, and I've felt slightly
uncomfortable carrying it.
Enter the iPad. The iPad has done some amazing things to
improve my life, but one thing it did that I didn't expect, was to force me
into a bigger bag. I first tried the Targus CityGear Mini, http://amzn.to/L1tkey, into which my iPad,
iPhone, and extraneous items fit perfectly. I needed nothing else. Except.
Except that the problem with the Targus CityGear is that it was perfect fit. It
was iPad size. Another murse.
When I bought what's a fantastically excellent messenger
bag/shoulder bag, the Crumpler Skivvy in gunmetal/black, http://bit.ly/JARDSz, I finally understood the
full extent of the bag size problem. The Crumpler messenger bag is great for
carrying my iPad: roomy, comfortable, waterproof. It's also way too big to
carry just an iPhone on those days (most days) when I'm not toting around my
iPad. Overkill for sure. Yet in ways that I can't fully articulate, the bigger
bag is the bag I need to carry.
If you're feeling as insecure as I am about carrying
around your tech gear in a purse-sized bag, in addition to Crumpler, your
choices include Tom Bihn bags, www.tombihn.com,
Timbuk2, www.timbuk2.com, SF Bags, www.sfbags.com, Rickshaw Bags, www.rickshawbags.com, and others. Just
remember, it makes no sense to carry a smaller bag that holds everything you
need, and fits under the seat in front of you on a plane, when a larger,
heavier, more expensive bag is available.
---
Bill Adler is the co-publisher of the Cleveland Park
Listserv, www.cleveland-park.com.
He is the author of "Boys and Their Toys: Understanding Men by
Understanding Their Relationship with Gadgets," http://amzn.to/rspOft. He tweets at
@billadler.
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